Research Methods Flashcards
Give advantages and disadvantages of lab experiments
Increase level of control that a researcher can have
Reduce ecological validity of research
Describe a field experiment and its As and Ds
Takes place in Ps natural surroundings
Increase ecological validity, surroundings more realistic
Reduce level of control
Describe a quasi experiment
A study that lacks random allocation to groups
Bc of an existing IV
Describe a natural experiment
Situation happens by itself and is completely uncontrolled by the researcher
Used for ethical reasons when R can’t control or manipulate one of the variables
Give As and Ds of observational research
Small Milner of people means they can have large amount of insight
Deep understanding
Often P has rare characteristic, focusing attention makes it diffuse to generalise to a larger population.
Describe a naturalistic observation and its As and Ds
R observes behaviour in its natural environment
Eg, animal research
High validity, info collected unobtrusively
Behave as they normally would means ecological validity, can generalise
No demand characteristics if done right
Difficult to set up or control
Describe a structured observation
People are observed while engaging in set, specific tasks
Describe non-participant observation
Researcher watches from a distance and doesn’t engage
Ethical issues, p must be told
Describe participant observation
Researcher joins in with a social situation tonne able to observe it effectively without biasing the findings
Describe an overt observation
Os are aware they’re being observed
More ethical bit leads to demand characteristics
Describe a covert observation
Ps are unaware that they’re being observed
Reduces demand characteristics
Ps don’t give consent, ethical issues
Can observe in public place however if it’s on video without Ps consent, it’s not allowed
Describe a controlled observation
Researcher sets up a situation and observes what happens
No IV or DV
Give examples of self report techniques
Questionnaires
Replicable
Interviews
Structured, follows questionnaire format
Unstructured, everyday conversation, begin with planned questions but follow up
Interviews may alter P responses due to social desirability bias
Give an advantage for surveys
If the sample is large and diverse, it could be generalised to a larger population
Describe correlations
As one variable changes, so does another
Measured using a correlation coefficient
Number from -1 to 1that indicates strength and direction of the relationship
Closer to one = stronger relationship
Helps to discover strength and direction of relationships
Cant establish cause and effect
Describe a non-directional hypothesis
Two-tailed hypothesis
Predicts change but doesn’t specify direction
Used when there is no previous research
Describe a directional hypothesis
One-tailed hypothesis
Predicts the direction in which change will occur
Used when previous research has suggested the direction of change
Describe a null hypothesis
What will be found if the experimental/alternative hypothesis is not supported by results
What must be considered when creating a sample
Representation
Population/target population
Give examples of types of sampling
Opportunity
Accessing on their convenient availability
Prone to bias, may not be representative
Systematic
Applying a system or rule when selecting
Reduces researcher bias, some Ps may be excluded
Volunteer
Select themselves
Certain personalities are more likely than others to come forward
Stratified
Recreating the same proportions of group than in population
Reduces bias bc more representative however Ps must already have been selected using another technique
Random
All stand equal chance
Doesn’t guarantee a representative sample
What is the purpose of a pilot study
Help researchers test out their methodology and make minor changes
Describe a pilot study
Running planned methodology with smaller number of Ps.
Allows for modification
Give examples of experimental design
Basic design
At least 2 experimental conditions
Repeated measures
Ps complete every condition :
Minimises P variables, sam people being studied
Ps may guess hypothesis or have order effects
Independent groups
Split Ps into groups to complete different conditions
Each P takes part in only one condition :
Participant variables, avoids order effects
Matched pairs
Ps in different groups, matched up on age and abilities to minimise participant variables, matched into pairs then randomly allocated a member to each condition
What is event sampling
Records an event every time it happens over a period of time
What is time sampling
Records the prominent behaviour at many different points in time
What is a likert scale
A type of closed question which people rank from 1-7
Give examples of closed wuestions
Yes, no
Multiple choice
Likert scales
What is a confounding variable
When an outside variable changes across the two conditions,
Can ruin the experiment
Describe an extraneous variable
Variables that can’t be eliminated
R tries to minimise them as much as possible
Describe counterbalancing
Minimises order effects
Allocating Ps to conditions
Half completed condition 1 then 2
Other half opposite
Describe standardisation
Using a standard procedure for all participants
Same instructions,
Same location
Describe researcher bias
Researcher in some way influences the outcome of the research
What is a single-blind study
One of the groups are unaware which group they’re in ( e or c)
Researcher knows
What is a double blind study
Neither P nor R knows who is in each group
What is the hawsthorne effect
Demand characteristics
Change their behaviour because they know they’re being observed
What does a consent form have to include
Potential risks of the method
A section for P to give consent
Ps can leave at any time
All data is confidential
What is a peer review journal
Read by several other scientist with expertise
Provide feedback to author and journal editor
Look for flaws in design and methods
Give three key measures of central tendency
Mean
Median
Mode
What is a measure of dispersion
Provides an idea of how spread out a set of scores are
Give two examples of measures of dispersion
Range
Lowest, highest
Standard deviation
Using a simple formula, shows amount by which scores differ from the mean
What is a critical value table
Determine whether the result is statistically significant
Calculated babies must be greater than or equal to the critical value in order to be significant
Reject the null hypothesis
What is a positive skew
Mode is lower than the mean and median
Skew is to the right
(Right foot)
What is a negative skew
Mode is higher than thr mean and median
Skew is to the left
Describe nominal data
Data that fits into distinct categories
Collected by counting frequency of each category
Describe interval data
Measurement taken on a scale
Unit is equally sized and objective
Describe ordinal data
Data falls along a scale
Relates measurements to the same variable
Often seen in surveys ie likert scale
Describe ratio data
Taken on a scale
Set to a zero, no negative values ie ruler, thermometer
Describe content analysis
How qualitative data is analysed
Quantifies data
Broken down into categories
(Operationalised)
Frequency reporte
Describe thematic analysis
Looks at overall themes of qualitative data
Write report
Themes can be subjective
Describe triangulation
Comparing other sources of data to verify the conclusions drawn, helping objectivity
